SPORTING 36 Wins In 44 Races: Great Career Of Ajax

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 July 1947, Page 7

SPORTING 36 Wins In 44 Races: Great Career Of Ajax

(Specially written for the Evening Star).

The cabled advice recently of the sale of Ajax to Mr W. J. Smith at 13,000 guineas prompts the opportunity of penning a few lines about his wonderful career. In all he started in 44 races and had 36 wins, five seconds, two thirds and three times unplaced. His stake earnings amounted to £40,225 and he occupies fourth place in the list of winning horses in Australia and New Zealand, those above him being Phar Lap £66,738;

Amounis £48,297 and Gloaming £43,100. As a two-year-old Ajax had four wins, one second placing and one unplaced in six starts; at three years he had nine wins and two second placings in 11 starts; at four years, he Avon 14 races, and was second in his only other start, which incidentally broke a sequence of .18 successes; at five years he had six wins, one second and one third placing and had three wins, and two second placings, as a six-year-old.

In an article, written in the Australasian in February of 1941, the well-known contributor “Chiron”

had an interesting story of Ajax, and excerpts from it make good reading at this stage. On the occasion of a visit to the Widden Stud, in New South Wales, where Ajax was bred by Messrs Baillicu and Thompson, the latter owner showed a party what, he described as “the best foal you have ever seen.” That was thought a tall order but all admitted

that they had never seen a better or

more promising youngster. The foal \ was Ajax, who had been dropped six [ weeks earlier, on the day Peter Pan won his second Melbourne Cup. It was often wondered later whether there was any significance in the fact that he was foaled on Melbourne Cup day. “Personality Horse” Even at that stage of his development, Ajax was a horse with a personality. “He carried himself with the air of one who felt he owned the place. He did'so all through his career,” said “Chiron.” Ajax vvas mouthed and broken in as a yearling and was used for a while mustering cattle. After five weeks of such handling, he was returned to Widden

behind a mob of cattle, and was then used at the stud as a hack for some time before being sent to Sydney to his future trainer, Frank Musgrave. Ajax was ridden over half the journey to Sydney and led the other half, and later Musgrave voiced the opinion that the. colt was one of the best broken horses he had ever trained.

It was not long before Musgrave realised he had a young horse out of the ordinary. He did not hurry him for the spring racing and delayed his debut until January, when Ajax was started at Caulfield. He was not fancied, but beat the favourite, Aidershot, easily after jumping the tan crossing in the straight and losing ground. H. Badger rode him in. that race, but M. McCarton had the mount in his next race, which he won. In his third race, won by Hua, he was sent out a staunch favourite, lout McCarten failed to keep him on the course and he was unplaced. In his next race, he was defeated by Caesar, but turned the tables on that horse when they next met. A few days later he beat Hua at Randwick.

As a Three-Year-Old

Ajax reappeared as a young three-year-old in the Chatsworth Plate at Caulfield, and showed that he had wintered well by carrying 9.4 to easy victory, /Xvenger being the runner-, up. Tn that race Badger renewed his association with him, but McCarten had the handling of him in the Rosehill Guineas, which he won from Caesar, and in the A.J.C. Derby, in which he was defeated by Avenger after a great race, with Hua half a head away. Ajax proved too brilliant up to a mile for Hua, but over longer distances Hua was his master. In the Caulfield Guineas Ajax defeated both Avenger and Hua, but in the Victoria Derby Hua ran down Ajax in the last few strides and just won with Avenger in third place. Ajax won twice over a mile and a half, scoring in the C. B. Fisher Plate

and King’s Plate. Except in the case of the Derbies, Ajax was never trained for distance racing, but had he been given the necessary preparation he probably would have stayed quite well. Speed, however, was his forte.

Best Performance

There will always be argument regarding the best performance by Ajax. Some will favour his Newmarket Handicap victory, as a three-year-old with nine stone and others will favour one of his three wins in the Caulfield Futurity Stakes. In the Newmarket Handicap, Ajax carried 71b over weight-for-age, and beat Ena, El Golea, and Aurie’s Star. In the following spring Ena and El Golea ran a dead-heat in the Toorak Handicap, and El Golea went on to win the following Newmarket Handicap with 8.12. Aurie’s Star was also a Newmarket winner, having been successful the year before Ajax with 8.5.

In his Newmarket Ajax met Ena 91b, El Golea 141 b, and Aurie’s Star 61b worse than he would have done at weight for age. None but a truly great horse could have accomplished what Ajax did that day in the longestablished six furlong sprint at Flemington. “Chiron,” in concluding his article, considered that the second Caulfield Futurity Stakes victory by Ajax with 10.6 was the race which had the most far-reaching effects upon his racing career. The going was heavy that day and although Ajax apparently won the race very easily, it must have taken a good deal more out of him than was suspected at the time. He had to be carefully handled after that race, and its aftereffects were responsible for his defeats by High Caste and Amiable. At the top of his form neither of these horses would have had much chance against him. As a three and four-year-old Ajax won 18 races without a break, but he was not the Ajax of old when Spear Chief defeated him at Rosehill in the Rawson Stakes and brought his winning sequence to an end. He was a dull and listless horse that day, just as he was when he suffered defeat in his last two races in the spring. Stallion’s Record

In the opinion of “Chiron,” Ajax was, perhaps, more brilliant than Phar Lap, but did not stay quite as well. Phar Lap, Amounis and Gloaming, who are in front of him on the list of winners, were all geldings, so Ajax has the distinction of having won more money than any other entire Australian horse.

It is interesting to note that Talking was sold for 19,00 guineas, Heroic for 16,000 guineas and Valais for 14,000 guineas. Ajax is now 12 years of age, and has sired many winners to date, including Magnificent, a dual Derby winner, and the outstanding sprinter, Chaperone. Magnificent was also purchased by Mr W. J. Smith for 6000 guineas for the St Aubins Stud. Mr Smith, it will be remembered, purchased Beau Pere when he was sold at the dispersal of the Westmere Stud, Wanganui, in 1937 for 3300 guinas. and was reported to have sold him to go. to America a few years back at 10,000 guineas.